What If: You were Shingen and Shintaro's older sister (masterlist)
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featuring: Gapryong Kim, Minseon Kang, Baekho Kwon, Jinyeong Park, Eunha Lee, Tom Lee
Author's Note: I mean, I always said this arc is shitty. But it wasn't until I was writing this chapter did it occur to me how poorly paced this entire arc is. We are literally speedrunning the the PreGen.
I'm not complaining. TBH not really a fan of flashbacks unless it involves my favorite characters.
This makes my job easier lololol
Eunha Lee. The second-in-command of the Liberation Training Corps and a master swordswoman. She had nothing but respect for their chief, Jinyeong Park. He was strong, competent and compassionate.
However, at this moment, she was starting to have doubts about his intelligence.
"You want to join forces with that womanizer?"
From the bridge, they could see Gapryong Kim kneeling in front of a lady the same way he knelt for Yeonwoo Kim. Neither Jinyeong nor Eunha could hear him, but they knew it was nonsense.
"I thought you were smarter than this, chief. How could you fall for a conman? Forget it, I'll just pretend we never had this conversation."
"Trust me, Eunha. That man has the power to overcome anything."
Baekho Kwon grabbed Gapryong and hauled him over his shoulders in a fireman's carry.
Once they were with Jinyeong and Eunha, Gapryong was finally allowed back on his feet.
"So," he started, cranking his neck, "why did you ask me to come here? It's noona's day off and we were watching—"
Jinyeong Park interrupted him, "We can't fight the Yamazaki on our own. We need more people, we need heroes. And today, you're going to recruit the first hero."
"Where is he?"
"Down there."
Under the bridge was the beggar's village.
"There is a king there," Jinyeong explained, "the King of Beggars."
"Hm. That's odd. I've been here several times but I've never heard of the beggars calling anyone a king. Then again, noona did ask me to stay on the bridge when she visits."
Jinyeong cocked an eyebrow. "Noona comes here?"
"Sometimes, when the boss can afford it, he sends food here. Noona insisted on doing it on her own. But there's no way in hell I'd let her come here alone."
"Why doesn't she want you joining her?"
Gapryong shrugged. "I've thought about asking but—" a strange look crossed his face briefly before he flashed his signature smirk "—but I figured noona didn't want me intimidating those poor saps with my good looks."
Jinyeong remained silent as Eunha Lee shivered painfully and Baekho Kwon shook his head.
Bakgu Noh looked over the bridge. "We're gonna ask a beggar to be our ally? Doesn't that feel kinda off?"
Gapryong grabbed his shoulder good-naturedly. "Who cares about status when we're saving the world?"
"Have some faith, Bakgu Noh," said Jinyeong. "A man like Gapryong Kim managed to save you so anything is possible."
"Watch it, pretty boy. I'm already in a bad mood because you interrupted my alone time with noona. Anyway, you want me to talk to the Beggar King, right? I'll do it. Y'all stay here. Oh."
He paused. Then he turned to the only woman here.
"What's wrong?" Eunha asked.
He handed her his gloves and hat. "Please keep these safe for me, pretty lady."
"Wha—"
He then jumped over the bridge.
Eunha stared at the things he left with her. "I'm very tempted to just drop these down there."
"Don't do it, miss," Baekho Kwon warned, "even I can't protect you if you destroy those gifts on purpose."
Gapryong successfully asked Tom Lee to help their cause, in no small part thanks to Yeonwoo Kim unknowingly charming the beggar.
And making new friends meant one thing: Gapryong needed to treat them to soup.
That was the plan. But by the time they reached the Kangs' restaurant, the place was already saying goodbye to its last customers.
"Come on, Miss Minseon, this is a time for celebration. And we need to discuss what to do next. Let us in, please?" Gapryong tried his puppy-dog eyes on the waitress, who was unmoved.
"Look 'ere," Minseon said, looking like a gangster herself as she glared at the ringleader, "does our place look like a military base, to you? Why are you treating it like your headquarters?"
"We're very sorry," Jinyeong interjected. "We appreciate everything you've done for us so far. I apologize on behalf of our group. We'll go find somewhere else to convene."
Gapryong scoffed. "You don't hafta bow to her. She's being a baby."
Minseon's face warped for a split second, and then, she grinned. "You should learn some manners from this gentleman, Gapryong. Maybe if you did, unnie would finally see you as a man, instead of a child."
"I'll have you know, there's no manner man than me in this crew."
"Moron."
"Prude."
"Jerk."
"Bully."
"That's enough, you two." Mr. Kang arrived. "Congrats on making new allies. Come inside, I'm sure you're all dying to eat and celebrate."
"Thank you, boss, but I can't stay for too long. I need to hurry back…" Gapryong stopped in his tracks when he saw you setting the tables.
You saw him and smiled. "Welcome back."
He ran to your side. "Noo—"
Tom Lee snapped his fingers. "Soup Noona!"
Your head flicked towards him.
The others looked at him, too. "Soup Noona?"
"She delivers food to us, mostly soup," he explained, "If I knew you guys were friends with her I wouldn't have punched first." He waved at you. "How've you been, noona? Everyone misses you. I'm still wondering how that story with the mermaid ends!"
In contrast to Tom's delight, your expression was a mixture of shock and displeasure. You were completely speechless.
Gapryong tilted his head. "Noona?"
His voice pulled you back and you greeted Tom. "Hi, Tom. Um, I'm going to check the stove. Everyone, please take a seat."
Gapryong's gaze followed you as you ran away.
Once introductions were out of the way, the boss and Minseon brought out the food.
While Tom thanked Mr. Kang multiple times for his generosity, Minseon bonded with Eunha and Yeonwoo. Jinyeong and Baekhoo were already stuffing their faces.
Gapryong, however, was in no mood. He left the table and snuck into the kitchen. He found you sitting in a corner, staring into nothing, face blank.
He cleared his throat. "The rice tastes bland without you."
It was like you didn't hear him.
"My hands hurt—that Tom Lee is tough as heck."
Nothing.
Gapryong's smile fell. He ambled carefully towards you, like he would a skittish bunny. "Noona?"
Hearing that, you blinked a couple of times. Then, you looked at him.
He knelt down so you wouldn't need to crane your neck. "Everything okay?"
You averted your eyes. "Yeah. I was just surprised. I didn't expect Tom to become your ally."
"Did that shithead put his hands on you?"
You met his gaze. "No! He's a sweetheart! Don't misunderstand. I really was just surprised."
"So you don't have any problems with him?"
"I don't, guppy."
"Then, you should join us." He offered his hand. "I can't taste anything when you're not there."
You already knew Tom, and it was no surprise that you got along with Eunha Lee. The real problem lay in Jinyeong Park.
"You actually finished reading Langman?"
You giggled. "Trust me, it took a couple of tries and several outdated medical dictionaries, but I did!"
"Impressive."
The son of a bitch was getting along too well with you. And he was leaning too close.
"I couldn't put it down. It's really fascinating—when I'm bored I answer the practice questions after every chapter."
"That's…" Jinyeong's eyes sparkled. "Amazing."
Gapryong's spoon twisted between his fingers and Minseon, who was forced to sit next to him let out a laugh. "Heh."
"What?"
"Oh, nothing, just…" She smiled. "For a guy who claims to love unnie but goes around kissing random girls, it must feel really shitty to see her get close with someone more compatible."
"Please, noona and Jinyeong are just friends."
"So are unnie and I."
"Yeah, well…" She could tell the gremlins in his skull were working overtime before he replied, "Don't underestimate the bond between men. Jinyeong knows that noona is my future wife."
"Maybe, but does noona know that? You can call yourself her husband all you want but do you think she takes you seriously?" The reason why Minseon didn't step in whenever Gapryong hit on you was because you truly believed that he didn't mean it. Both Minseon and Gapryong knew: in your eyes, he was your precious family. Worse than a friend, he was a little brother. "If noona fell for Jinyeong, are you gonna tell him to stay away? Are you really that selfish?"
"You're saying that nerd is better suited to be with noona?"
"Think about it for a second. He's tall—"
"So am I."
"—handsome—"
"He's pretty. You want handsome? You look at me."
"He's a pharmacy student who can fight just as well as you can. You may listen and parrot the stuff noona says, but he can actually discuss them with her. Once he gets a job, he'll have a steady income for a wedding, and a house, and children. As many as unnie wants. With their genes, they'd make the cutest babies."
Gapryong's face darkened.
"Just imagine, a little girl running around with Jinyeong's eyes and unnie's everything."
He remained silent and Minseon patted herself on the back. It was nice to finally get under this bastard's skin.
"Minseon, you're so dull."
"Hah?"
"Smart girls prefer dumb guys, so I'm the best fit for noona!"
It was hopeless. This bastard lived in his own world.
It was fun talking to Jinyeong Park. He had a passion for medicine that you not only respected but shared.
"After you become a pharmacist, do you intend on furthering your studies?"
He cupped his nape awkwardly. "I've thought about it."
"I imagine you'd make an excellent physician."
He blushed. "Thank you. Becoming a doctor did cross my mind, but… I just want to provide for my family. I don't have parents, so my older sister and brother-in-law raised me. They even pay for school. I wanna help them as soon as I can."
You grinned and poured kimchi juice into Jinyeong's bowl. "You can have my copy of Langman if you want."
"Are you serious?"
"I've read everything and I took notes all the parts that interest me. It would be a waste to have it rot in a shelf."
"I-I'd appreciate it. I'm actually reading a lot on… um, reproductive health. My sister and brother-in-law are trying for a baby."
"That's wonderful! I have several books on pregnancies and parenthood. You can have them too."
"Oh, I don't know about that—"
"I insist. It's not like I'm planning to be a mother anytime soon."
"Still, I'd feel bad just taking books from you."
"Well, you're going to free Korea from the Yamazaki, consider that payment enough."
Jinyeong chuckled with you—
"Hey, you two." Gapryong smashed himself between the two of you. "What'cha talking about?"
"It wasn't anything interesting," the Training Corps chief replied.
"Are you sure? You look like you were having so much fun, I kinda got jealous."
Everyone else repeated in their heads: "Kinda"?
"Jinyeong was just telling me about his family. By the way, how is your little sister? Yuri, right?"
"She's doing well. She keeps pestering me to tutor her, but between school and fighting the Yamazaki, I haven't had much time."
"But your family is supportive with the entire fighting against the Yamazaki thing?"
"Yes, they are. They told me that if I didn't follow my heart, I would regret it for the rest of my life."
"You're very lucky to have them."
"Yeah." He smiled tenderly. "I am."
Without thinking, you reached over and patted his head.
Gapryong, who was literally standing right between you, almost fainted.
Minseon cackled gracelessly. This was the first time you ignored Gapryong for another man. Brilliant.
You soon realized what you did and pulled back your hand. "I'm sorry! I acted reflexively. I do that a lot so I hope I didn't offend you."
Tom Lee chewed slowly, then he turned to Baekho Kwon. "Are they dating?"
"Which ones? Actually, it doesn't matter. Noona is single, and so is Gapryong-hyungnim. As for Jinyeong Park—" He looked at Eunha Lee.
She shook her head.
It was true that Jinyeong Park was popular with women. Even with his poor background, he was still a catch. However, his life revolved around three things: his family, his studies and the Training Corps. The attention of girls didn't appeal to him the way it did for most young men. In a way, Eunha was grateful. He never hit on her or made her feel any less of a fighter. In Jinyeong Park's eyes, she was his second-in-command, not someone he could romance or someone who needed to hide behind him.
"Our captain's a virgin," Eunha admitted flatly. Next to her, Yeonwoo Kim choked on her noodles.
Tom nodded approvingly. "I see, so I have a comrade," he whispered. And then, he turned. "How about you, Baekho—"
"Don't."
"Ahaha, I see, you wanna stay silent, huh? No worries, I understand!"
"Just focus on eating, Tom."
As the two ate, Eunha and Yeonwoo watched you, Gapryong and Jinyeong.
"Eunha-ssi, do you want to make a bet?"
"I didn't know you were into betting."
"It's fun every once and a while," the young reporter replied. "I bet you a whole week of free meals that Gapryong Kim's going to marry that unnie."
"Hah?" Eunha was starting to wonder if Gapryong had a mysterious ability that lowered everyone's critical thinking skills. "I don't know if they'll get married, but Captain Park is clearly a better match for her than that lecher—or for any woman, really."
"I wonder."
"Fine. I'll take you up on that. But, Yeonwoo-ssi, are you okay?" she whispered.
"Of course I am. We made a new ally."
"No, well…" Eunha glanced at Jinyeong, then at her.
Yeonwoo shrugged, expression soft. "I'll be fine."
Somehow how I'm happy that Gap isn't fat phobic but him being a womaniser (while maybe married at this point) grinds my gears
He tried to seduce a lady in red (probabily is rich), Yeonwoo, was assulted by Rei (and lies to himself that the man loves women), and now a chubby lady. Next will be Minseon (because she actually rich and ends up married to her) and I won't be surprised if he open minded to date men (*ehem* Elite and Jinyoung)
Or Gapryong would date any woman no matter the race, height or weight as long as he won't cross the line with age.
